A sex offender apologised yesterday for causing a young girl grief by filming her in an erotic home-made video.
Jeffrey Savage, 33, argued it was not gross indecency when he made a voyeuristic tape of the young girl changing into a school uniform.
The Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal that his conviction be overturned.
At times during the video the 'visibly distressed' 12-year-old could be seen naked from the waist down. The shoe salesman, an American, told the Court of Appeal he regretted 'the grief' he had caused the girl and called his actions a 'moral affront'.
Savage told the court he recognised it had been 'incorrect' to film her, but said there must 'be a requirement of sexual gratification at the time' to constitute gross indecency.
'I'm not a cold, callous individual who took advantage of a demure 12-year-old,' Savage said. 'My impression when I met her was that she was older.' The girl's mother - having agreed to take $2,000 in cash in exchange for letting the child be filmed - took her to Savage's Hunghom flat in October 1995.